Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks to make first film together: report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two of the most celebrated actors of their generation, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, will star together for the first time in new Steven Spielberg political drama "The Post", according to Hollywood trade magazine Variety.

The film will focus on the Washington Post's publication of the 1971 Pentagon Papers, which made headlines around the world when the newspaper's editor and publisher challenged the U.S. federal government over their right to publish them.

Twice Oscar winner Hanks will play the editor, Ben Bradlee, while triple Oscar winner Streep will take on the role of the publisher, Kay Graham, according to Variety.

No dates for filming were revealed in the report, with award-laden director Spielberg currently in post-production on sci-fi action movie, "Ready Player One," which is due to hit theaters in March 2018.

Streep was branded an "overrated actress" by U.S. President Donald Trump after she criticized him for belittling a disabled journalist at the Golden Globes in January.